“The lion is a coward in strange lands” – what expats can learn from Arab sayings

Concerns that the Arabic language is being dropped in favour of Englishwere once again raised at this week’s Arabic Language Conference in Dubai. As an increasing number of young Arabs are educated at international private schools and sent abroad for further education, there’s a very real fear across the region, and in the UAE specifically, that, “without conscious nurturing”, the next generation of Arab youth may be unable to write, or even speak, their own language.

But many expats here – even those who might willingly choose to learn Spanish or French if they lived there – are put off from learning Arabic. It’s seen as a difficult language with an unfamiliar script and a terrifying string of guttural consonants that require the speaker to make sounds way outside the usual vocal repertoire of Westerners. In a nutshell, we’re scared of our own inability.

If we could get over that, though – if we could find ways to embrace Arabic in our lives – it would be an enriching experience. Once you start looking closely at Arabic, you discover that many English words have their origins in Arabic – good examples are giraffe, zero, carafe and even serendipity. And any linguist will tell you that learning a language not only connects you directly to its people, but gives a valuable insight into the psychology of that culture.

While I don’t claim to be able to speak much Arabic (though I’m trying on Twitter with the help of @GoArabic, which tweets a phrase or two of basic Arabic each day), there’s a book of Arab sayings that I enjoy browsing. Apricots Tomorrow by Primrose Arnander and Ashkhain Skipwith (Stacey International) lists the sayings with their English equivalents. Even without being able to speak Arabic, thinking in terms of these phrases helps me understand a little more of the Arab mindset.

“The grapes are eaten one by one” – Take it one step at a time.

“What the wind brings, the storm takes away” – Fortune is fickle.

“You stole the cockerel, the feather is on your head” – To be caught red-handed.

“No answer is an answer” – Silence speaks volumes.

“He ate the camel and all it carried” – To eat someone out of house and home.

“A thousand curses do not tear a robe” – Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

And finally one – that needs no explanation – for the expats: “The lion is a coward in strange lands.”

Annabel Kantaria is a journalist who moved to Dubai long before most people knew where it was. She doesn’t ride a camel to work; has never seen a gold-plated golf buggy and only rarely has pink champagne for breakfast. Follow her on Twitter: @BellaKay